When does my senior's portrait need to be submitted to the yearbook? Can I submit any image to the yearbook for my senior? Do I need to use a specific senior photographer for my senior's yearbook photo? Are there other requirements for the yearbook photo I want to submit? And seriously - when is the senior photo due?
We get it! After years of having the school manage annual school photos for use on school IDs and the yearbook, you may finally have the opportunity to submit your own image! This is a truly amazing way to have your senior's unique personality shine through in their final yearbook. They get to decide how they want to be remembered! While it is a really exciting time, full of opportunities, it can also lead to a lot of questions about submission deadlines and guidelines. We are here to help.
At one point in time, we tracked the requirements of many of the major high schools in the Gahanna, Westerville, New Albany, Worthington, and Olentangy areas so we could assist our senior families with yearbook submissions. What we found is that the coordinators and deadlines often changed from one year to the next, and the seniors were the first to know. We now advise that you (or your senior) get in touch with the Yearbook Coordinator for your school for exact requirements. This information can usually be found on the school website, social media, or your high school's senior website.
Generally speaking, for schools that allow submission of any chosen image, you should expect that the image needs to be taken by a professional photographer. In most cases, images should be portrait orientation (vertical). In some cases the image must be a headshot style, but some schools allow full body. Attire must follow the school dress code, and include only your senior (no siblings or pets). Often there are file size requirements in order to allow for optimal printing of the image in the yearbook, but also meet file size submission criteria through their email or online tool. We have found many schools that allow your choice of image have a yearbook photo submission deadline that falls sometime between December and March of senior year.
As always, you will want to verify ALL information with your individual school because requirements change over time and vary by school. These are only general guidelines to get you started! We are happy to assist our seniors in finding this information and meeting criteria to provide them with a beautiful senior photo for their yearbook that they are excited to be remembered by! Let's talk about how we can make this experience amazing for your senior!